House Lothston (Blessed is the Broken Spear)
House Lothston of Harrenhal House words: Rise! Lord Lucas Lothston (Lord of Harrenhal 8151 - 8186) S killed with a blade and stout of heart, Lord Lucas was granted Harrenhal and its lands in 151AC after the extinction of House Strong. He currently has 5 sons, 2 daughters, and a grandson. In his youth Lord Lucas was a well-regarded tournament fighter, but has since retired to his seat in Harrenhal and dedicated his time to his family. Lord Lucas would live through the reign of five Targaryen kings, and begin an ambitious project to rebuild the castle of Harren the Black. Tradgedy was what marked Lord Lucas' reign however, beginning in 8170 when a wave a greyscale swept through Harrenhal, infecting all of his children and grandchildren. He would lose two sons and a daughter to the disease, with the other remaining permanently scarred by its effects. Of his 9 children, only three would still be alive upon his death years later. He would find solace in his cups, and became increasingly more erratic in his behaviour as the years went on. Lord Lucas was also the man charged with bringing Lord Damon Lannister to King's Landing for his trial, and presented the evidence of Lord Damon's treasonous remarks about the King and his uncle, Daemon the Dragonknight. Upon his death in 8186 his fifth son Edmund would take over as Lord of Harrenhal. Lord Edmund Lothston (8186 - 8195) Lord Edmund continued his father's dream of rebuilding Harrenhal to its former glory. Marred by greyscale from an early age, he did not leave Harrenhal for many things, preferring to rule in solitude, though his vassals had nothing but good words to give of Lord Edmund's rule. A quiet man, prone to charitable outbursts towards the small folk surrounding Harrenhal, he was much beloved by the people. Alas, his rule would not last long, his poisoned corpse being found in the Weeping Tower of Harrenhal in May of 195AL. Some whispered that the curse of Harren the Black had claimed him, others that his death was due to a more worldly plot, and named his elder brother Lucas as the killer. Regardless of how Lord Edmund died, his nephew Eddard Lothston assumed his seat in 195AL. Lord Eddard Lothston (8195-8207) Lord Eddard was known as a formidable warrior, though prone to excessive gluttony and feasting. Even still, he did much to improve the wealth of House Lothston, acquiring lands along the Green Fork and Lord Harroway's town, which he bequeathed to his uncle Whently to rule as Lord Mayor. Following Lord Tully's kidnapping of Daeron's younger daughter, Lord Eddard was granted overseer of the trial, choosing Lord Jerry Baratheon and Lord Damon Lannister as the judges alongside himself. Lord Tully refused the King's command to ride to King's Landing for the trial, however, and instead raised his banners against the crown. Lord Lothston, torn between his loyalty to his liege lord and the crown, decided to remain true to the crown, and alongside House Frey of the Crossing, raised his own banners to fight against House Tully. The Lothston and Frey forces would score a decisive victory against the rebelling Tullys, and for his loyalty to the crown, Lord Eddard Lothston was raised as the new Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, though in an unprecedented and some would say ill advised move, the lands that were held personally by house Tully - Riverrun, Kanet, and Lolliston, were granted to House Arryn, perhaps as some sort of settlement to ease tensions between House Arryn and the crown. Lord Eddard protested this move, as it severely weakened the Riverlands and left it exposed to possible Lannister expansion, but nonetheless the lands were given to House Arryn. Lord Eddard, frustrated with the move, soon departed for Essos in search of the blade his uncle had retrieved that was stolen from him, Black Death. It was the last that was ever heard of Lord Eddard, and his son Addam took over as the new Lord of Harrenhal and Paramount of the Riverlands. His son's reign only lasted a few years until he was found murdered, some say by the King, other's by his own men. Lacking any brother's, the Lordship of Harrenhal was passed to Lord Eddard's nephew, Lucamore Lothston, a boy of only 5 years. Lucamore 'the Young' (8213 - 8239) Soon after rising to the title of Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, Lord Lucamore was sent to Highgarden to be warded under the tutelage of Lord Leo 'the Longthorn' Tyrell. He trained alongside Lord Leo's grandson, Leo the Second, and was taught the importance of justice and mercy by his foster-father Lord Tyrell. However, the Longthorn's health soon deteriorated, and by the time Lucamore had turned 9 years of age, Lord Tyrell had passed, and the boy lord was bundled away again, this time to Casterly Rock to be warded by Lord Tywin Lannister. Lord Tywin Lannister would soon pass as well, shortly before tensions between the Vale and the Riverlands reached a boiling point, leading the a declaration of war by Lord Lucamore Lothston's regent, Lord Walder Frey, for the return of House Tully's lands to the overlordship of the Riverlands. At the time, Lord Lucamore had been betrothed to Lady Allise Arryn, but upon the declaration of war the betrothal was broken, and the young riverlord's hand promised to Argella Baratheon, the daughter of Lord Corwen II of the Stormlands. It was to Storm's End that the young lord was sent to continue his education, while Lord Frey led the war effort against the Arryns. Betrayal was soon felt by the river lords though, as Lord Tywin Lannister's son, Lord Gregor Lannister declared war upon the Riverlands in an opportunistic effort to expand his lands and solidify his rule over the Westerlands. Attacked on both fronts, the Riverlords were doomed, but showed great courage at the Battle of Acorn Hall as they defeated the Lannister hosts, only to be immediately set upon by the valemen army. The war had been lost, and so Lord Lucamore was forced to empty the coffers of Harrenhal to pay for peace. Soon afterwards, the lords of the Vale declared war upon their liege lord, the infant Arryn girl. The Lannisters raised their banners and marched into the Riverlands, claiming that they were heading to the Vale to assist the Lady Arryn. Lord Lucamore, now a boy of 14, was not fooled, and when ravens arrived from Lord Piper detailing the destruction the Lannister armies were wrecking upon the smallfolk in the western edges of the Riverlands, Lord Lucamore called his banners and forbade the Lannisters from marching through his lands. Even though the King, the Hand of the King, and Lord Lucamore Lothston all forbade the Lannisters to march his armies through the Riverlands, he continued, flaunting defiance against the crown. The Lannister armies, still claiming to be marching to the Vale to help the Arryn's deal with their rebellious lords, began siegeing the keeps of Riverlords and attacking Rivermen villages. Harrenhal itself was placed under siege, all the while the Lannisters protested their innocence, claiming they only wished for peace. Even after the rebellion had been put down in the Vale, the Lannister hosts still did not return home, and marched in force against Lord Lucamore's army, attacking it in Darkmoor. A close battle was fought, but eventually the Riverlords were once again overwhelmed by the superior Lannister numbers, despite inflicting roughly equal losses upon the Westermen host. Lord Gregor Lannister, even still continually protesting his innocence and claiming Lord Lucamore was the aggressor, assaulted the capital of the Riverlands and took Harrenhal, putting its defenders to the sword and executing any captured prisoners. The King, a foolish boy, condemned by the Gods for killing his own relatives, even demanding that Lord Lucamore cease his 'hostilities' against House Lannister, despite the fact that not a single Riverman had set foot on Lannister controlled lands. Lord Lucamore was eventually forced to surrender his coffers again to the Lannisters, consigned to accept their blackmail in return for their hosts returning home. Such were the formative years of Lord Lucamore's youth. He left the Riverlands at the age of 6 an innocent boy, but he has since returned to a Harrenhal sacked by Lannister hosts, and a land ravaged by war. Not long after returning, the lions came again. In early 8232, the then Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, Lord Gregor Lannister, declared war in an attempt to conquer the territories of Stoney Sept and Pinkmaiden, but this time the black bat of Harrenhal was ready. When his raven's went out, his father in law Lord Corwen Baratheon came to his aid, as well as the young Lord Greyjoy, eager for the plunder that awaited his ironborn in the Westerlands. The Lannister forces advanced to the Riverland's capital of Harrenhal and was met by 50,000 combined Rivermen and Stormlander soldiers. The battle was a slaughter, and the disorganized and bloody westermen fled back behind the Golden Tooth, closely followed by the armies of House Lothston and Baratheon. The Lannister, knowing the war was lost sent their message of surrender to Lord Paramount Lucamore, but he declined, stating that Casterly Rock would burn first, in retribution for the previous Lannister invasions of his lands. Making their last stand at Goldshire, the Lannisters were set upon by the Lothston, Greyjoy, and Baratheon armies and annihilated. As Casterly Rock lay under siege, news arrived that King Aelix had returned from his 7 year long journey to the far East, where he had set off saying he would tame a dragon. Only a tenth of the force he took with him returned home, and with no dragon in sight. Hearing of the aggressive wars made by Lord Gregor Lannister, whom the King had left in charge of the realm as Hand of the King, he immediately stripped him of his title and awarded it to Lord Lucamore Lothston. Casterly Rock would fall, and Lord Lothston would enforce notably light terms upon the Lannisters - financial recompensation for Riverlord lands burned, and the renoucement of Lord Gregor's claims on Riverland territories. The shame of losing to what he considered an unjumped lordling boy, and being stripped of his title as Hand of the King would turn Gregor Lannister mad with anger, so much so that in a fit of rage he killed his own daughter, and threatened the life of his council members for 'betraying' him. Lord Stavren Reyne, being one named as a 'betrayer', would recognize that Lord Gregor had become too unpredictable and volatile a liege lord, and led a rebellion against him to place Gregor's younger brother Lord Raynard Lannister on the seat of Casterly Rock. The rebellion would be successful, and in a pragmatic move, Lord Raynard Lannister proposed a marriage between his only daughter and Lord Lucamore Lothston's son, soldifying an alliance between two houses that had just years before been bitter enemies. Lord Lucamore would serve as Hand of the King for only a short period of time, being injured severely in King's Landing while overseeing construction of a new barracks, and would return home to his new capital of Riverrun, which was returned to the Riverlands by his cousin, Lady Arya Arryn, in return for his assistance in dealing with the rebellious vale lords. Lord Lucamore would perish in 8239 from his wounds and illness, and be succeeded by his first son Selwyn, who was plagued by mental illness which was said to be the result of either the curse of Harren the Black's castle. Though, Lord Lucamore's second son, Edric, had no such issues. Lord Selwyn 'Halfmaeter' (8239 - Succeeding his father at the age of just 10 years, Lord Selwyn was a troubled youth. His mental capacities were severely lacking, and his lords laughed at the boy in their cups, calling him Selwyn the Slow. Nonetheless, the boy's love of books and his wise council, particularily Lord Edwyn Bracken, would perhaps be his saving grace, for despite indeed being slow of the mind, he had an alarming capacity and thirst for knowledge, spending his days in Riverrun's library under the tutelage of Archmaester Cedric of the Citadel. Oddly enough, the boy also showed considerable skill with a blade, more so than his father, who was held in high regard as a knight by the Riverlords. Despite his mental shortcomings, Lord Selwyn would grow to become an accomplished scientist, spending much of his time poring over ancient tomes of knowledge and writing a rather lengthy piece of work on the digestive systems of Dragons. Unfortunately, his desire to study a live sample would lead to his untimely death as he was badly wounded when he attempted to personally oversee the late Aegon Targaryen's dragon Maegal, and would succumb to his wounds shortly afterwards.